Ore and coal separator.



No." 629,590. Patented luly 25, |899.

F. PARDEE. ORE AND COAL SEPABATOR.

(No ModaL) Hilf* fill; Il

kN/Q@ W fr UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK 'PARDER OF HAZLTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ORE AND COAL sEPARA'ToR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of lLetters Patent No. 629,590, dated July 2.5, 1899.

. Application filed May 17, 1898. Serial No. 680,987. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK PARDEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in separators for.

Ore, Coal, duc., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for separating substances differing lin specic gravity or frictional resistance, the object being to provide a separator which shall be so constructed and arranged that the die'rent kinds of substances subjected to its action will be automatically divided or assorted.

As the machine illustrated by the drawings is more especially intended for the separation of coal from slate and from bone? or pieces of coal containing a kind of slate usually in thin layers, the invention will be described in that connection, although it is applicable to the separation of'other substances.

When anthracite coal is taken from the mines, it is mixed with more or less rocky substances, usually designated as slate, which contain silica or other gritty matter possessing a peculiar frictional resistance when moving over other solid substances. This resistance is such during the passage of the mixed substances along the spirals of a centrifugal separator as to cause the slate and bone to move slower than the pure coal, apart from the difference in velocity due to the dierence in the specific gravity. The coal, gliding with more rapidity and meeting with less resistance from the surface over which the several substances arev made to travel, passes to the outer edge of the spirals, the bone being next, and the slate .nearest the center.

The difference in the nature and action of the substances makes centrifugal force available for purposes of separation, but that force is not wholly to be relied upon. The substances must necessarily adj ust themselves to their relative positions, which requires some to cross the course of others and occasions more or less knocking of the pieces against one another. S0, also, the slate or rock, as Well as the bone, at times receives an impact from the substances behind it which, or the knocking already mentioned, gives to pieces of slate or bone a greater impetus than they would have from the mere force of gravity or of centrifugal action, and unless prevented from so doing such pieces are liable to pass outwardly beyond the intended limits and become mixed with the coal; but the peculiar frictional resistance which operates against lthe speed of the slate and bone when moving oyer another solid surface may be taken advantage of by mechanical means for overcoming any extraordinary impetus which they may receive and which will change their course, so that such pieceswill proceed nearer the center of a spiral Way and come within proper limits before emerging from the machine.

For the purpose of attaining the objectvalready stated it is im portantthat the physical properties ofthe different substances to be separated be utilized and the conditions which Would otherwise be a hindrance should be measurably overcome; and to these ends the invention consists, primarily, of a machine for separating ore, coal, &c., by gravitation, centrifu gal action, and frictional resistance, comprising a suitably-supported spiral Way forming a iioor on and along which the substances pass, an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom,

said floor being provided with an incline, the plane of which pitches toward the axis or center and toward the outlet of the said spiral way, as well as in the construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis an elevation of a separator or centrifugal machine having a floor with anincline on the outer part thereof, the plane of which incline measured from its outer point'lies toward the center and toward the outlet, it being also provided with undulating surfaces, shown in the form of continuous spiral ledges or ways. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of two of the segments thereof, showing the manner in which thelower edges of the upper ones overlap the upper edges of the lower ones. Fig. 3 is an edgev view of a segment having ridges of.a concavo-convex formation with the convex side upward or so that they will be on the inner face of the spi- IOO rals when the machine is constructed. Fig. a is an edge View of a segment having serpentine ridges or ledges. Fig. 5 is also an edge view of a segment, showing a horizontal floor or plain surface extending for 'a certain distance outwardly from the central support and upwardly-inclined spirals having a zigzag formation of ledges which interrupt the continuity of the incline on the floor or some part thereof.

The drawings show a spiral way formed of various sections or segments A, which may be made of any suitable material, preferably metal, supported by a column or post B, to which, as shown, the flange c at the inner end of the sections is secured. The outer or larger ends of the sections or segments are also shown as being provided with a deeper flange d, so that when the sections are adj usted or secured in place the outer iianges of the various segments assume a regular spiralform and constitute an abutment or wall for preventing substances passing through the machine from escaping or being thrown over by centrifugal force or action. This outer wall or the larger ends of the segments are secured to posts or columns C C, as shown.

The several sections or segments are formed so that when the machine is constructed the incline of the floor will have a plane sloping or pitched toward the center or axis and toward the outlet of the spiral way. In such formation the weight of the substances and the centrifugal action will cause them to progress through the machine and the difference in specific gravity or in frictional resistance will operate with the centrifugal force to effect their separation. The incline of the spirals will have an effect in checking the speed and changing the course of the substances havin'g the greatest frictional resistance or such pieces thereof as may from any cause receive an extraimpetus which might otherwise cause them to pass so far outward as to bring them beyond' the intended limit.

In order to furnish an additional` guard against the outward movement of substances which should remain near the center and also to guard against the inward movement of the substances which should remain on the outside, but rebound or drop back when striking against the outer abutment or wall d, the segments may be formed with an inner plain part a and with an outer part b, on whichare ribs, corrugations, or undulatin'g surfaces, preferably constituting continuous ledges or ways. The plain part d maybe on an incline, as shown in Figs. l to 4, or it may project horizontally and form a flat ioor for a short distance, as shown in Fig. 5, in which case the inclined spiral will be on the outer part and may be provided with undulating surfaces or ledges, as shown, or otherwise.

The corrugations or otherwise-formed undulating surfaces or ledges of thc several segments A A are shown as coming into alinement with those `of the adjoining segments, thus forming continuous passages or ways along which the substances coming into them may be conducted to the outlet of the machine. These segments are also shown as overlapping one another by having the lower edge of the upper sect-ions come over the upper edge of the next lower section `and by having the lower end of the outer iiange d of the upper section come inside of the upper end of the outer flange of the next lower section, and so on. This construction and arrangement of the segmen ts avoids diiculty in the makin g of joints and permits the substances to pass from one section to another with a slightly-increased impetus owing to the jogs thus formed, and there is also no liability of lodgment. This outlet of the spiral way leads the separated substances to proper chutes D and E or as many others as may be necessary or desirable for conducting the assortments thus made away from the machine. If mixed coal, slate, and bone be fed into the spirals at the open top or inlet thereto, such substances will whirl rapidly around, and during the passage the gravitation, centrifugal force, and difference in frictional resistance will cause the coal to glide outwardly over the undulations formed on the spirals, while the bone will in the natural course of the operation comenext in order, and the slate will gravitate nearest the center. The several substances thus separated will emerge at the outlet of the spiral way, from Which'they may be conducted by Ioo the chutes provided for such purpose, as already stated.

I do not herein claim the features of construction of spiral separators which are made the subject-matter of seven applications tiled 1o 5 by me on November 18, 1898, under Serial Nos. 696,761, 696,762, 696,763, 696,764., 696,765, 696,766, and 696,767, respectively, and to which reference is hereby made; but,

Having thus described my invention, what 11o I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A machine for separating ore, coal, die., by gravitation, centrifugal action and frictional resistance, comprising a suitably-sup- 115 ported spiral way forming a door along which the substances pass, an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom, said iioor being provided with an incline the plane of which pitches toward the axis and toward the outlet of said 12C, spiral way.

2. A machine for separating ore, coal, dsc., by gravitation, centrifugal action and frictional resistance,comprising an axial support, a spiral way forming a floor around said sup- 12 5 port and along which the substances pass, an inlet to and an outlet from said way, said iioor being provided with an incline the plano of which pitches toward the axis and toward the outlet of said. spiral way.

3. A machine for separating ore, coal, &c., spirals, said floor being provided with an inloy gravitation, centrifugal action and friceline the plane of which pitches toward the tional resistance,comprising an axial support7A axis and toward the outlet of the spiral Way.

a spiral way forming a floor around said sup- FRANK PARDEE. 5 port and along which the substances pass, Witnesses:

an inlet to and an outlet from said Way, and J. B. QUIGLEY,

an abutment or Wal-l at the outer edge of the A. LNI. EBY. 

